He's Back
by Hillarious126
Summary: Dean's back after his year in Purgatory and he finds Sam at Amelia's. This is my first fanfic so reviews are encouraged.
1. Chapter 1

Just a note, I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters, they are property of the CW network and the writers.

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The knock on the door startled them. They weren't expecting company, hell it was 11:00 at night. No one in their right mind knocked on a door at that time of night. But when the knock sounded through the quiet house again, Amelia turned to him, "Who could that be?"

"I don't know," Sam replied as the person on the other side of the door knocked a third time, this time a little louder, "But I'm guessing that they aren't leaving until we answer them."

Sighing, Sam put his book aside and climbed out of bed. He may have been out of the game for a year, but there was no way he was letting Amelia answer the door, especially this late at night. So, he climbed out of bed, and on his way to the door, grabbed the baseball bat he had positioned just inside the closet door.

The knock sounded again, and Sam heard Amelia behind him so he turned to her, "Stay here. I don't know who's at the door, but I want you to stay here, just in case."

"Sam…"

"Really Amelia, stay here," and as an afterthought he added, "Please."

He turned back to the door and focused on the task at hand. He moved silently towards the door, when he got close, he went to call out but he heard muttering, and a curse from the other side of the door that made him stop dead. The voice sounded familiar, but it couldn't be. It had been a year. There was no way that he was on the other side of the door.

Taking a deep breath, he called out "Can I help you?"

There was a moment of silence, as if the person on the other side of the door had to make a decision but then the voice was clear as day, "Sammy?"

Damn it, he did know that voice, "Dean?" he called out. And waited, holding his breath and hoping that it really was his brother standing on the other side of the door.

"Yeah Sammy, it's me. Now open the damn door."

Sam couldn't suppress his smile as he opened the door, and saw his older brother standing on his front step. Dean looked a little worse for wear, but he was there and alive, something Sam didn't think was even possible. Though, at this point he should have known that if you were a Winchester, just about anything was possible.

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This is my first fanfiction, so please any reviews or hints would be much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Once Again, I Do Not Own Supernatural or Any of its Characters... though I do love Dean

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Before he even realized what he was doing, Sam grabbed the flowers that were sitting on the table by the door and threw the water in the man's face. Just because Sam had given up hunting, didn't mean he wasn't prepared. After all, a hunter was always a hunter, so all the water in the house had been blessed. And he was so caught up with what he was doing, and who was standing in front of him, he didn't hear the gasp that came from the hallway behind him.

But Dean just sputtered, and spit the water out of his mouth as he wiped his eyes. "Alright Sam, I know the drill. But you don't have to go looking for any silver, I got it covered."

Dean drew a knife out of his jacket, and rolled up the sleeve of his jacket, and drew the blade along his arm. Sam recognized the blade, and knew in that instant, Dean had already seen and been in his Baby. But as the blood slid down Dean's arm, he looked into Sam's eye and Sam just knew it really was him. That his brother was back. This realization made him miss the curse that slid out of Amelia's mouth. It had been muttered but it had definitely slipped out.

Dean's smile was as big as Sam's, and as he grabbed his brother and pulled him in for a hug. It was then that he noticed the women that stood in the shadows, doing her best to stay out of sight.

"Sammy," Dean said quietly, so that only his brother could here, "There's someone behind you."

Sam pulled away and looked down at his brother before turning, to find that Amelia had in fact, not listened to him and was standing in the shadows, watching the scene before her. How long had she been there, he wondered. But, from the look on her face she had seen most of what had just transpired.

"Sam, who's there?" she said as she stepped in to the light, "And why did you throw water in his face, and then allow him to cut himself with a knife?" She sounded confused, and even a little angry.

"Amelia, this is Dean, my brother."

Dean smiled at her over his brother's shoulder in acknowledgement but that was his only response. She on the other hand, had a puzzled look on her face.

"Your brother ? I thought your brother was dead. And that still doesn't explain why you just let him cut his own arm."

"Not so much sweetheart, but thanks for your concern," Dean said still looking past his brother.

"Really Dean?" was Sam's reply. "I thought you were dead, so why shouldn't she?"

"Prolly cause I'm standing on your front step Sammy. Which reminds me, you gonna let me in?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course." Sam said, and he stepped out from in front of the door and let his brother step into the house. "Where were you Dean?"

"Now that is a long story. One I'm not sure your friend would care to know about. What I can tell you was I was standing just a little too close to Dick and it made for one hell of a year."

"Hell?"

"Not this time Sam. Not this time."

Sam let out a relieved sigh. He had flashes of his time in the cage. Castiel hadn't been able to take it all from him. And in those brief moments when he did remember he was thankful he didn't have the rest. But Dean did. Dean remembered his time in Hell and it wasn't something he liked to talk about. Sam was grateful that Dean hadn't somehow ended up back there. It had been something Sam had dwelled on a lot right after Dean had disappeared. And with Cas gone to, Sam hadn't had anyone to turn to when he started looking for Dean. And then he had hit the damn dog.

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Thanks for the first few reviews, I may keep going but I'd love to know what y'all think.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank y'all so much for your support... much love!

Oh... and again I don't own these characters or this amazing show.

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Sam was brought out of his own head by Amelia's voice, "Dean, it's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you. But can I ask why you knocked on our door at 11:00 at night?"

Dean brought his attention from Sam, back to Amelia, he thought that was the name Sam had used, and replied, "Because, when I found out where Sam was, I started this way. And I just got here. Sam's my little brother, and it's been a year. Sorry I didn't wait till the timing was better for you."

Before Amelia could respond, Sam voiced the question that had popped in to his head, "How did you find me Dean?"

"I traced your cell. I know you Sammy, it wasn't all that hard."

His cell phone. That's how Dean had found him last time to. Only last time, Sam had used some ridiculous alias. This time, he had used his real first name, and Bobby's last. It had seemed like a fitting tribute at the time, and the way Sam had seen it, a way to stay under the radar. They were always using strange names, maybe something so obvious wouldn't pop up on any crazies radar. And it had seemed to work. He hadn't been bothered in the year he had been here. His life had taken on the appearance of normalcy.

"You traced his cell phone? And it took you a year to find him? And your still bleeding let me look at that." She came forward and grabbed his arm, as Dean gave her a questioning look.

"Yeah, I traced his cell phone, Yesterday. Before that, I wasn't exactly in an area that was known for its reception."

At the last portion of his statement, Dean's tone had dripped with sarcasm and Sam knew that whatever had happened to him wasn't something he wanted to talk about. But Amelia hadn't picked up on that. She didn't know Dean the way that Sam did. So she simply looked up at him as she finished cleaning the blood off of his arm and replied back with anger lacing her voice, "Sam has been morning your loss for a year. A Year! He thought you were dead, and it was tearing him up inside. I know that kind of pain, and it wasn't fair of you to do that to him. What on earth could have been more important than your brother?"

Dean just stared at her. It was obvious she cared about Sam, but his temper got the better of him. So he looked her dead in the eye as he spit back is retort, "Don't you lecture me about my brother. He's all I have in this world, and if I could have been there for him. I would have. If I could have taken his pain, I would have. And don't you think for even a minute that I wasn't just as worried about him as he's been about me. I thought about him every day. About making it out of the death trap I ended up in, and seeing the only family I have left." He turned to Sam then, "You hear me Sammy? I did everything I could to get back to you. I didn't leave you."

"I know Dean."

Sam's voice was so quiet Amelia had strained to hear what he said, but Dean had heard. His posture had relaxed. The tension that had been in the arm that she was trying to patch up had all but vanished.

Sam could tell that while his response had its desired effect on Dean, and his brother had taken down his defensive wall, Amelia's had gone up. She didn't know anything about them. About their relationship. About what they did. It was then, that Sam realized that he was in many ways a stranger to her. She didn't know his last name, or his home town. He hadn't told her about Bobby, Cas, Ellen or Jo. He had never mentioned Ruby, Lilith or Lucifer. And yet here she was, bandaging the cut on his brother's arm, and trying so hard to not be angry at the changes that had already been thrown at her. His brother was alive. Which, in Sam's mind meant that Cas was still alive as well. And this was the best news that he had received in a long time. But it also meant that everything was going to change.


	4. Chapter 4

Hey Guys! I know its been a while! I work in retail and we have been a bit busy but I appreciate all of your support and I can't wait to see what Ya'll think of the latest chapter! Leave me some love!

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Sam knew that eventually he would have to sit down with Dean and find out what had happened to him. He needed to know not only what happened, but what the repercussions would be. They had come to learn that for every action, there was a reaction. And the last time Dean came back, it had brought them to Cas and the Apocalypse. But he also knew that he was going to have to make a choice with Amelia. He was either going to have to tell her who he was, all of who he was, or he was going to have to walk away. And both options had the potential to hurt her. Hell, they both had the potential to hurt him.

"Sammy…?"

It was Dean's voice that brought him back this time, "You alright?"

He could hear the concern there, so he looked up and smiled at his brother, "Yeah, I'm good and it's all real."

He knew that Dean would understand. There were no hallucinations any more but Dean still worried. He always had.

"What's Real?" was Amelia response as she stared at the man she loved. She still has his brothers arm in her hands, though she has finished cleaning the cut. He could only imagine what was going through her head. And how could he blame her. There was a man standing in her kitchen that until a half an hour ago she had believed to be dead, and said man was filthy, bleeding and angry a combination which Sam knew was not going to sit well.

"Nothing, it's a family thing," was Dean's response as she turned her gaze to him. She didn't respond, simply stared at him for a moment, and then went back to work on his arm. He was harder than Sam, always had been. And he had always been more difficult to read. But then, he had spent more time with John. Had been in this life for longer. Remembered more than Sam did. So, Sam could see Dean's need to keep something private. And he wasn't complaining. It was late, and sharing his actual life story didn't seem like the greatest of ideas right now. And Dean didn't appear to be making any fans.

"Hey, if your done looking at my arm, mind if I get cleaned up?"

"No, of course. Let me see if I can get you some of Sam's spare cloths." Amelia's response was forced, and Sam could tell she was angry. And it would seem she wasn't all that fond of his brother. But that was how Dean was, you either loved him, or you hated him. He really didn't have a happy medium. He just was.

"I have some of your cloths in the car Dean." Sam wasn't sure where his voice had actually come from. But he did in fact have Dean's bag in the back seat of the Impala. Amelia had tried to take it out so many times, tried to get rid it but Sam just couldn't seem to through it away. It had been the last bit of Dean he had left.

"You Do?" It was Amelia who had responded. She was fairly certain she would have noticed clothing in the back of the car.

"Yeah. Dean, your packs in the back seat. I know you know where the car is."

Before Amelia could respond, Dean was out of his chair, and out of the house. He returned a moment later with a bag Amelia knew all too well.

Dean smiled at Sam, and the brothers left the kitchen and made their way deeper in to the house. And as Sam listened to the shower turn on he headed back for the kitchen. He needed to talk to Amelia before Dean just crashed in a bed. His brother was here, and there was no way he was leaving. Sam needed to know what happened. He needed to know where this was going. And most importantly, he needed to figure out what Dean being back was going to do to his relationship with Amelia. For Dean, everything was the same. But Sam's life had changed in the last year. It wasn't something that he really wanted to change, and she wasn't someone that he could easily walk away from. But Dean was blood. And with everything that they had been through, Sam knew that no matter what this was something that they were going to have to figure out together.


	5. Chapter 5

Once Again, I do not own these characters... they are the property of The CW.

And thank you all for your kind words. Sorry it takes me so long to update. I will try to be better about it.

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Amelia's back was to him when he returned. She had braced herself on the counter, head and shoulders slumped. She looked defeated was all Sam could think as he carefully approached her. Just as he was about to touch her, her voice stopped him.

"I thought you said your brother was dead." Her voice was cold, and angry.

They had bonded over a shared sense of loss. Her husband was dead and so was his brother. It was the common ground that had started this. And now, Dean's appearance had brought in to question everything that she had thought they shared. And the conversation she had had with the two, Dean's insistence that to Sam, he had been as good as dead had done nothing to calm that voice in the back of her head that said Sam had been lying to her the entire time.

"I thought he was." It was the truth that Sam uttered, and yet he knew that it wouldn't be enough. Not with Dean safe and showering in the other room. Not when Amelia's husband was still dead.

She turned before she replies and he sees not only anger but pain in her eyes, "He doesn't look dead to me Sam. He seemed just fine, well until you let him slice up his own arm."

Her words stung. He knew that she didn't understand. And even if he told her, the likely hood that she would accept his answer was slim. Hell, the likely hood that she would believe his answer ranked up there with the possibility that his father would also walk through the door. Actually the latter probably had a greater change of happen.

"If he hadn't done it, I would have. It was a test. Something from my life before you. The same with the water. They were both tests. And he passed. It's hard to explain and even harder to believe if you haven't lived in it. With it."

"Sam, I know about your life before me. You told me about Stanford. About leaving to spend time with your brother. About your father's death. Was that all a lie too?" The anger was winning now. Her voice had gone up an octave, and she was trying not to yell.

"Everything I told you was true. I did go to Stanford. I did quit school and go on a road trip with Dean. And yes, my father really is dead. But those are the parts that are easy to tell and even easier to believe. I didn't tell you why I left school in the first place. Or about how my mother and my father really died. I didn't tell you about Jess and I definitely didn't tell you everything about Dean."

"How could you lie to me? How could you do this?" She had lost her internal struggle and the yelling had begun. He knew it was only a matter of time now before Dean intervened. He always did, usually with a simple, 'It's alright Sammy, I'll handle this.' But this was his mess. His life so he needed Amelia to calm down and here him out.

"Amelia, as hard as this is going to be to believe, I did all of that to protect you. There are things out there, evil things, that would like nothing more than to hurt me. And to do that they would hurt the people that I care about without a second glance."

"Oh my god, you're in the Mob!"

He should have seen that coming. He's talking about the Supernatural, Demons, ghosts, the devil and her first instinct is to go with a threat she knows. And how many mob movies are their where people are killed because of what they know.

" No, I'm not in the mob. And before you ask, I'm not part of the Mafia and I didn't escape some cult. But I do move around a lot and I don't get close to people. I can't put someone I care about a risk. But with you I couldn't help it. I thought Dean was dead. And without him here, it was easy to forget about all the crap we had been dealing with since I was 6 months old. This wasn't my first stop after Dean disappeared. I traveled around a bit. I drove his car. And I was keeping everyone at a distance, until the day I hit the dog. Then I met you and for some reason I couldn't leave. So I stayed and I did what I had to, to keep you safe."

"I don't understand. You're still not telling me something. This whole thing started because you left pieces out and you're still not telling me something!"

"It's not that he doesn't want to tell you sweetheart, it's that he doesn't think you will believe him. Hell, I definitely don't think you will believe him. I don't think he should tell you. But it's not my call. I would however, like to know if you have any pie." Dean was leaning against the door jamb behind Sam. His hair still damp from the shower and to the untrained eye he would look relaxed, but the clenched jaw, and the tension in his forearms told Sam, that Dean was angry and on high alert. Maybe it was because of the argument but if Sam had to guess, it had more to do with where he had been the last year.

"Really Dean, you want pie." Despite the situation, Sam couldn't help but smile. Of course his brother was thinking with his stomach.

"Of course I want pie Sammy. There's always time for pie. Plus, I thought you two could use a break from yelling at each other I don't know if now the time to have this conversation. I would wait till its light."

Sam of course, knew that Dean was right. It didn't matter how long you were a hunter, if at all possible conversations about things that go bump in the night were best left to daylight, even if you weren't altogether safe then either. The problem he was going to have, was Amelia was already on edge. She wanted answers and he couldn't blame her. He would want them himself if the roles were reversed.

"I THINK NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION." Amelia's anger bounced off the walls in the small kitchen, and while Sam's smile had vanished from his face, Dean seemed utterly unaffected. In fact he rolled his eyes at her.

"Sweetheart, I fought with this way scarier than you. And trust me, when I tell you, right now you don't want to hear this. You're angry and scared and what we have to tell you. What Sam needs to tell you. You don't want to hear right now. It's going to change everything that you believe."


	6. Chapter 6

Couldn't sleep so I figured I would keep going. Here's another chapter... Hope Ya'll like it.

And I still don't own the characters but there are days that I wish I did.

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They were at an impasse. Sam could sense that Amelia didn't want to give in. She wanted to know, and she wanted to know now. She wasn't one to back down and neither was Dean. That meant that diffusing this would be up to him. And he had already made quite a mess. A mess that only the truth would fix. And the truth was a scary thing. He wasn't sure what scared him more, the possibility the she could believe him, or the possibility that she could think he was crazy. Either way he was fairly certain that she wasn't going to be sticking around.

"I HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!"

She was right on that one. She did have a right to know. She had been sharing her bed with a stranger for months. She didn't even know his real name. A name that brought murder charges, bank robberies and grave desecration to the table as well as everything else he needed to tell her.

Before Dean could continue the argument, Sam knew he had to step in, "What if I tell you one thing. And then the rest will wait until morning."

"You want me to be content with just one thing?" Her voice had dropped back to within its normal range, but it was still strained. She was so angry, but he was trying to compromise. And that was at least something.

"I promise it will be the most important think I tell you."

"I guess it depends on what piece of information you're planning on bargaining with."

"My name."

"I know your name, Sam."

"No, you know that name that I told you. A name that I hoped would stay under the radar and keep both of us safe, at least for a little while. But it's not my name."

"What do you mean it's not your name?" The anger was ebbing in again. She was fighting to stay calm. This man had met her father and being who her father was he had checked him out. Everything Dean had told her, matched what her father had found under the name that he had given her. Samuel Singer. And now, she was being told that this wasn't his real name. So what had her father found.

"It's simple really, it's not his name." Dean's answer was short, and Sam knew his brother well enough to know that he was annoyed. If she had a hard time understanding this, how was she going to take the entire truth. Their entire life.

"When you told me about your father, I knew it was only a matter of time before you told him about me. And after you told me what he did, I knew that I needed to cover my tracks. So I contacted someone I know, and they gave me a history. Well, they gave me my history with a few adjustments. The truth is that if you knew my real name. You wouldn't need your father to learn whatever you wanted about me. But your search would have raised red flags, and people would have come here, and asked you questions that you didn't have answers for. And I would have had to leave. So, I gave you a safe name, and a history free from all of the crap that I have gone through. We have gone through."

She just stares at him for a few minutes, the silence permeating the house. Every few seconds her eyes would shoot to Dean, but they always returned to meet his gaze.

"I want to know." Was all she said after a long pause, "And I have the right to know."

"When you run my name, and I know you will as soon as you leave this room. Red flags across the country are going to go up. And you will be watched. You will be bringing things here that I can't control. You need to know that before I tell you. You need to understand that you will be putting not only Dean and I in danger but yourself as well. Just keep that in mind before you run off and Google it."

"I understand that Sam, but if you're not going to tell me everything then you promised this."

He had in fact done just that. And now, he was wondering where his decision had come from. Telling her the name Winchester was dangerous. The name itself was dangerous. And yet that was the first thing he had offered to give her. Something she didn't even know that she didn't have. He turned, looking to Dean for help, knowing that his brother would come through. He always did and this time was no different as he stepped up to take his place besides his brother.

"Sammy just wants to make sure you understand exactly what's at stake here. Our name is a burden that we bear. And it's not something that we share. Bad things tend to happen to people that know our name. That know the truth about who we are and what we do. So what he's asking is that you take this information, and you sit with it until tomorrow when we can tell you the rest."

"Fine. I get it. You've done bad things and your name brings up your past. Everyone has something in their past that they aren't proud of. No one is perfect."

Dean was angry. Sam could see it in his face. But Sam could also see understanding. Because Dean understood why Sam had done what he had. Because it was the same thing that Dean had done to Lisa and Ben. Only they had known what they were getting themselves in to. They had known who Dean was before they took him in.

"You're right. But our name brings death with it. It brings nightmares, and it brings danger. Something that you need to understand. And you need to swear that you will wait until you have heard everything before you do something crazy, like enter one of our names in to a search engine."

"If that's what it takes, then fine. You have my word that if you tell me your names. And yes, I want both of them. Then I will leave it alone until tomorrow."

Sam knew the ball was in his court, so he looked up to meet Amelia's gaze and said the only thing that made sense, "My name is Sam Winchester, and this is my brother Dean."


	7. Chapter 7

Just a bit of a warning... this chapter is kinda internal, something Sam's struggling with but its going to lead up to Sam and Dean's talk about where Dean was for the last year, which wil hopefully be way more fun to read!

Thanks for all your support! Ya'll are the best!

And as always, I do not own the characters... the CW does.

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Sam knew that the whole truth was best left until morning. Who wanted to talk about demons at 1 am? But waiting for morning to come was another thing entirely. She knew the truth about who he was now. Or at least the essence of who he was. He had seen a hint of recognition in her face when he had said his last name. But then, he wasn't really surprised. He and Dean had been on America's Most Wanted list for longer than he could actually remember. Hell, he was fairly certain they had even made it to the damn TV show at some point. Not that either of them had ever taken the time to check. But the biggest story wasn't the murder, or the bank robbery, but the explosion and their death. They had been thought dead so many times, but when that police station had blown up, that had been the end of the Winchesters. And again, they had made national news.

Somehow, since then they had managed to stay off the radar. I mean, they had a few altercations with the law. And Dean somehow had managed to get arrested again. Yet, they hadn't even made the local news. It hadn't made waves. As far as the government was concerned Sam and Dean Winchester were dead. And he had told her that Dean was dead. So, to read about how they were both dead, some of the FBI's most wanted criminals. How was she gong to handle that. Especially once the entire truth was out there. Not only did he have to explain reports of deaths, but actual deaths. Both brothers had died multiple times.

He doesn't like to think of it as lying, but essentially that what he has done. He didn't tell Amelia who he was, which was as good as lying. Even under the pretense of protecting her. But now that the name was out there, everything would be out there. And she would be worried about the government. But he knew that the resurfacing of the name Winchester would bring up a whole lot more trouble underground.

Having been out of the game for a year didn't mean that he had forgotten the hazards that came with his name. That had started with John, and been passed on to his children. But, he and Dean had accepted it. Both of them had escaped. Dean had spent a year with Lisa and Ben and he had run off to Stanford. But they had both come back. This was the path that they had chosen. And even getting out hadn't been enough to save Jess. His family's lifestyle had sentenced her to death before either of them even realized it. Could he really do that to Amelia. Could he risk the life of someone else he cared about. So many people that he had cared about had already been lost to the cause. Could he really sentence her to that fate.

Before Dean had shown up at the door, Sam had been living under the delusion that they were safe. That no one could find him. Looking back at that now, he can't believe he hadn't already. Sure Dean hadn't said much and it went without saying that Dean knew him better than anyone, but it didn't seem like he had had all that much trouble tracking them down. And why should he have. At the time, choosing Bobby's last name had felt like a fitting tribute, as well as something so obvious that it wouldn't even have made the radar. But come on, Sam Singer. Who was he kidding? And yet Dean had been the first one to knock on the door.

"Stop second guessing yourself Sammy. I know you. Of course I found you. But, you've done a good job staying under the radar so far. Let's just hope she doesn't blow it for you and we end up having to high tail it out of here. "

Dean's voice brought Sam out of his thoughts, and back in to the present. Not that it was much better. He hadn't even heard his brother enter the room.

"Dean, all she has to do it type one of our names in to any search engine and thousands of horror stories will appear. How do you explain to someone that despite everything, you're not a bad person and how do you explain the deaths?"

"Sam, she wouldn't have moved in with you if she thought you were a bad person. She wouldn't have invited you into her life. As for the deaths, it depends on which one you're talking about."

"Where were you Dean?"

"So, that's where this is going. Can't say I'm really surprise but the short answer is when Dick exploded, I was standing a bit to close. And apparently Cas was to cause we got sucked in with him."

"Sucked in where Dean? Where were you?"

"Purgatory."


End file.
